Pope awards Knighthood to Irish peace builder, John Hume

July 07, 2012: Pope Benedict XVI on Friday awarded Knight of St Gregory to the Irish Nobel Laureate John Hume. He has been the key architect of the Northern Ireland peace process. His dialogue with Sinn Fein, the political wing of the militant Irish Republican Army (IRA) eventually led that organisation to declare a ceasefire which culminated in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement which brought peace to the region.

The awarding of a knighthood by Pope Benedict XVI is a fitting tribute to a man who has spent his entire adult life in the pursuit of peace both in Ireland and in other troubled parts of the world. He has been warmly commended as a man who lived Gospel values in the political sphere, reported Michael Kelly from Dublin.

Mr. Hume, 75, studied for the priesthood for a number of years before returning to his native city as a teacher. His experience of the hardship and injustice that the minority Catholic community experienced coupled with his grounding in Catholic social teaching led to his involvement in the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association.
He is also a founder of the Credit Union movement which ensured that people from modest backgrounds had access to credit at a time when banks stubbornly refused to lend. During his political career he campaigned tirelessly for an end to discrimination against Catholics in the provision of housing and in employment.

Hume established the Social Democratic and Labour Party, the SDLP, in 1970 to pursue his campaign for insisting that violence was both counter-productive and wrong. He was jointly awarded the Noble prize for peace in 1998 in recognition for his work. The other recipient was David Trimble, the then leader of the Ulster Unionist Party.
In welcoming the awarding of the Papal Knighthood, Msgr Eamon Martin, administrator of Mr Hume’s home Diocese of Derry, said it will be conferred “in recognition of his outstanding services to Catholic social teaching in the area of peace”.
Mr Hume’s successor as leader of the SDLP Mark Durkan said the honour from the Pope was “especially appropriate because in all his politics John Hume reflected Gospel values of non-violence, peace, respect for difference, equality, justice and care for the dignity and wellbeing of others.“